


Helltaker: Twice as Bright

by Tivstock



Category: Helltaker
Genre: Backstory, Flashbacks, Gen, Headcanon, Mentor/Protégé
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24359974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tivstock/pseuds/Tivstock
Summary: Scenes from the life of Justice, former High Prosecutor of Hell.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 186





	1. Gratitude

Lucifer, Chief of Hell, sat at her work desk and maneuvered through her daily paperwork. Her skeletal servants stood around her in formation, standing guard as the demon grumbled to herself and raised her head. She turned a wary eye to her clock.

The hour was almost over. She had an important meeting coming up.

Looking over her shoulder she flicked her fingers. “You’re all dismissed,” she told her guards, watching as they gave her a salute and began to disperse. Lucifer had no intention on them attending this meeting. It wasn’t as if the bones-for-brains would have ever been able to start rumors or anything, but Lucifer felt as though this was a private affair.

She cleared away her paperwork and drummed her fingers on the desk. Her clock beeped as the hour ended, and the elevator to her office began to open.

In strode Justice, High Prosecutor of Hell. Grinning brightly from below her sunglasses she walked with a casual gait, placing her hands on her hips as she approached. “You wanted to see me Chief?” she asked.

Lucifer noticed she was wearing her jacket on her shoulders, as though it were some kind of cape. Wearing sunglasses indoors was one matter entirely: if it had been any other demon, Lucifer would’ve commanded these fashion errors be rectified immediately. She decided she’d let it slide.

Lucifer sat up straight, lacing her fingers together. “High Prosecutor. Have you chosen your successor?”

She owed a great deal to Justice. With boundless energy and tremendous fighting spirit, the demon and her soldiers had quelled an attempted coup among the lords of Hell. What could have become a civil war had been extinguished by the High Prosecutor and her soldiers, the traitorous Beelzebub defeated in combat and her forces reduced to ash.

The battle had come at a cost. There was a limit to the great power held by a High Prosecutor, and in her efforts Justice had almost reached hers. The position would need to be transferred to another demon, as was tradition, though Lucifer wasn’t concerned who this would be. She knew there would always be another High Prosecutor.

Although she wouldn’t admit it, she wanted to check up on the one who saved her life.

Justice grinned. “Oh, that? I was thinking one of my inquisitors.” She scratched her head as she spoke. “She’s a good kid. A little over-the-top but she’s got a good heart. Total killer, of course.”

Lucifer gave a curt nod. “I will trust your choice in the matter,” she told her. “And when will you be conducting the rites of succession?”

She watched as Justice scratched the back of her neck, glancing out the nearby window as she spoke. “Uh… could you give me till the end of the month?” she asked.

Lucifer blinked. Even her admiration for the prosecutor had its limits. “The court doesn’t WORK without an acting prosecutor,” she began, rising from her chair and looking irritated. She watched as the demon turned and held up her hands in defense.

“Whoa whoa whoa! I’m still prosecuting.” Justice breathed a sigh of relief as Lucifer sat back down, before she continued. “I just was wondering if I could have some more time. Before, well…” she said, trailing off as she glanced at the ground.

“…y’know.”

Lucifer tapped her arm, thinking upon this for a moment, before she clicked her tongue. “Fine. You have until the end of the month.” She watched as the High Prosecutor smiled with gratitude. “And have you decided on your next position?”

Justice hooked her thumbs around her belt. “Honestly? I want to oversee one of the lower rings.” She laughed a little at Lucifer’s expression. “I know, I know. I just think it might be fun to teach the newbies a thing or two. You know they need it.”

Lucifer couldn’t deny this. The exterior rings of Hell had definitely been slacking in productivity, and the former High Prosecutor would make for an excellent mentor. All the same it was certainly not what she would’ve picked for a demon of her prestige. She put on the manner of considering this before revealing her true intentions for the meeting.

“Would you like to serve as my advisor?”

Beelzebub’s exile had left a hole in her inner circle, and she thought there was no better choice than the one who had done the exiling in the first place. Lucifer smirked a bit as she watched Justice begin to recover from her shock, before it was her turn to be blown away.

“Chief, I’m honored!" She poked her fingers togetheer. "Am I allowed to refuse?”

Lucifer’s mouth flapped uselessly. Justice stood and awaited her answer: it was an honest question. Lucifer was the ultimate (or among the ultimate, depending on who you asked) authority of the underworld. She knew that that job offer could be turned into a command with a flick of the demon’s pen.

Justice watched patiently as Lucifer sank into her chair, flustered. After several moments she wheeled her chair away, hiding her expression.

“You are,” she told Justice.

The High Prosecutor placed a hand on her chest, bowing her head in gratitude. “Thank you Chief. I appreciate it.”

She looked up and saw that Lucifer hadn’t turned her chair back. There were several moments of silence before Justice wondered if she had been excused. She made to leave before Lucifer spoke up again.

“O-one more thing!”

Justice turned. Lucifer spun back around, holding a gift box in her hands. Her face was several shades of crimson as she held out the present. “A token of my gratitude, for your services,” she explained, watching as Justice walked over with curiosity.

She took the box with surprise, giving it a small shake like a child at Christmas. The box was covered in ornate ribbons: clearly this had taken some time to prepare. “Can I open it?” she asked the Chief, watching as she looked away in embarrassment.

“Do as you wish,” she told her.

Justice gleefully unwrapped the box, tearing open the paper and lifting off the top. She stared inside.

A pair of gloves, crimson and white, awaited her. The letters HPJ were adorned on each. The High Prosecutor lifted them out and immediately put them on, flexing her fingers as she admired her present. “Chief, these are great! I’m never taking these off!” she told Lucifer.

The Chief of Hell realized she was smiling as well, and covered her mouth with her hand. “Y-you can call me Lucifer,” she mumbled.

Justice stared at her. She lowered her sunglasses, her brilliantly shining eyes matching her smile.

“Thanks Lucy!”


	2. Succession

Before long, Justice’s last month as High Prosecutor came to a close.

The demon looked around her room with a sigh, drinking in the familiar space one last time as she patted her desk. She’d had her few belongings moved already and had finished signing all the necessary paperwork.

All that was left were the rites of succession. She glanced up at her own clock and realized she was going to miss looking at it, if you could believe it. Justice smirked a little and shook her head.

Someone knocked on the wall outside. Justice could see a familiar shape through the doorway: in Hell, there really weren’t that many doors to begin with, unless you were the Chief. Or a prisoner. “Come on in,” called Justice.

Slowly, her chosen successor entered the room, her mane of white hair billowing behind her. She was already wearing Justice’s old armaments: the attire of the High Prosecutor looked good on her. Justice could already see she’d decided on a few changes and thought they looked pretty cool.

She never could’ve pulled off those heels though. “How are you feeling, kid?” she asked the demon.

Inquisitor Judgement rubbed her arm and looked away, her red eyes focusing on the empty bookcase nearby. Today, the usually bombastic demon was another creature entirely. She looked uncertain as her gauntlet dug into her suit jacket, unable to face her commanding officer. “Boss. Are you sure?” she asked Justice.

Justice smirked. She remembered herself saying something similar, back then. “About what?” she asked her successor, watching as her shoe twisted into the floor. The armor plating chimed.

“About me?” asked Judgement, her eyes locked on Justice’s. She knew she was being sincere about this: Judgement was probably the most honest, good-natured, sincere excuse for a demon that Justice had in her ranks. That’s why she’d picked her.

“Definitely.”

Judgement watched her, expecting her to speak some more. Justice left it at that. No need to make this any harder than it was.

It was her turn to ask a question. “You ready for this?” she asked Judgement. Justice watched the demon stare over at her in surprise before she straightened up, trying to look more confident.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

Justice laughed. “Yeah, I said the same thing.” She saw Judgement laugh along with her, softly, before she beckoned her over. “Let’s get this thing over with.”

Judgement gave her her best attempt at a smile. She walked over and stood before the High Prosecutor, the taller demon having to look down a bit as Justice smiled back. She held out her gloved hand.

“On your mark,” Justice told her.

They locked eyes for a few long moments. Judgement took a deep breath before nodding, taking Justice’s hand in her own.

Immediately a length of glowing white chain locked their hands together, stretching against their arm. The sensation burnt their skin with a horrible pain, and Justice heard her successor hiss at the sensation. She knew she could take it.

“Repeat after me,” Justice said she began the rites, “I, Judgement, Inquisitor of the Infernal Court…”

The demon repeated her words. She continued. “Shall act as the Instrument of Punishment and Avatar of Atonement…”

Judgement’s voice rose as she stood her ground, repeating the rites. Justice felt emotions stir as she saw herself in her place, so long ago. She buried them deep.

“Guardian of the Sin Machine and Defender of Hell…”

Justice felt her grasp tighten, Judgement steeling her resolve. Chains burst through the walls of her office and smashed into the ground around them, forming a circle as the energy around the two demons grew.

Just one more verse now. Justice’s smile grew with her successor's. She tried to preserve this face in her memory, flashing through the images all of her favorite and most treasured things one last time.

“…for as long as I am needed.”

“…FOR AS LONG AS I AM NEEDED.”

The chains seared their flesh. The light grew between them, Justice feeling energy stripping away from her body. The last thing she saw was Judgement’s eyes, wide and afraid and beginning to turn dazzlingly bright.

Then they began to fade away from her sight. Justice saw only darkness.

The chains dispersed between their arms, freeing the pair. She saw nothing now, hunching forward as her body reacted to the depleted energy. Justice was High Prosecutor no longer.

She’d been preparing for this, of course. Attempting her usual tasks with her eyes closed, turning off all the lights as she went about her chores. She realized now it hadn’t been enough: none of it was like this. Justice remained bent over as she drew haggard breaths, attempting to calm her racing heart.

Something grabbed her shoulder. She flinched, quickly realizing it was Judgement. “Boss…” she heard the new High Prosecutor murmur in concern.

Justice shook her off. She tried to find her face and hoped for the best. “I’m alright,” she told her, forcing one of her usual smiles. She hoped it was enough, only able to hear Judgement attempt to catch her breath.

She tried not to shiver as she righted herself, taking a deep breath before raising her hands above her head and exhaling. “Well… that’s that!” she chimed, wiggling a finger in what she hoped was Judgement’s direction. “You’re over there right?”

“Y-yeah boss,” she heard Judgement lie. She was way too nice: from the sound of it she was off to one side. Justice smirked and moved her finger.

“Hey. Don’t be easy on me now. You’re the High Prosecutor, got it?” When she smiled now it was genuine, proud and sure of her choice for a successor. “I’m not your boss anymore.”

She heard the sound of clinking armor. Justice wished she could see her face again, and settled for a memory. When Judgement spoke up again her voice was soft.

“Could we be friends?” asked the demon.

Justice sniffed. She chuckled, listening as the High Prosecutor tried to also keep herself composed. They both sounded on the verge of tears and they knew it.

“Definitely.”


End file.
